The Lake of Bodies
by m'1o1
Summary: Newly wed Gail McIntyre has just returned back from a trip in the Lake Districts, but without her husband. When her daughter-in-law Tina starts to get suspicious and does some investigating, Gail and her son David soon have a big problem on their hands.
1. Chapter 1

Corrie FanFic: The Lake Of Bodies. –Chapter One

The rain was gently trickling down the window panes of Number 8 Coronation Street, the sound of people running up and down the cobbles with no more worries than getting a little bit wet made Gail McIntyre flinch in her seat and look at the door every now and then. Each time Gail would turn around in her chair, the look of disappointment and worry on her face clear. All sorts of things were running through her mind at this moment in time.

Gail clutched the chipped mug full of piping hot tea tightly, and let out a sigh of sadness with a hint of annoyance. The dull thud of Gail's son charging down the stairs was the next sound that greeted Gail's ears. David stopped two steps short of the bottom of the stairs and peered round the banister. He saw his mother simply sitting there. He announced his entry to the room with a clear cough. Gail turned round and flashed David a sad smile, fresh tears glistening in her eyes.

"Oh, hello David, I thought you were out..." Gail whispered softly, wiping away her tears.

"Err, no I was just upstairs" David replied, scratching the back of his head, "Were you looking out for..." he then said, gesturing to the door.

Gail smiled again and stood up from the sofa, "I guess I was just clutching at straws" Gail replied, not really answering the initial question. She walked into the kitchen and placed her now empty mug in the sink, filled with Luke-warm water.

Gail had just recently got married, to what she thought was her ideal man, kitchen fitter Joe McIntyre. The pair had just recently gone on a trip to the Lake Districts, yet only Gail returned. Ever since then she's been waiting for him to come home. However, Gail and David were keeping a secret from the rest of the street, because Joe's absence wasn't as innocent as the excuse they made, that he was working in Cumbria, there was something more sinister to Joe's disappearance.

David walked to the window and looked out onto the street their house overlooks, Seeing Tina stepping out of the Kabin calling someone on her phone, arms folded and a look of impatience on her face. Suddenly a phone on the coffee table started ringing, but the trouble is it wasn't David or Gail who Tina was phoning.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

David walked over to the phone, his hands in his pocket. He picked it up and glanced at his mother who was washing the dishes, trying to take her mind off her missing husband. David let the phone ring in his hand and as he looked down at the screen he could see "Incoming Call → Tina". As the ringing stopped David dropped the phone onto the sofa and walked towards the kitchen.

"Tina just tried calling him again" David informed Gail, who didn't even look up from the washing up bowl.

"Really?" Gail said, trying her hardest to sound like she wasn't bothered.

"Yeah, this is the 5th time today," David said "She might start to get suspicious. Whatever happens, we can't let on that we know what really happened. Okay?" he told his mum, a stern look in his eyes. Gail turned round and looked David straight In the eyes.

"You don't think I know that? We tell anyone what happens and our lives are ruined. Nobody needs to know what went on there, least of all Tina. As far as she's concerned Joe is working in the lake district." Gail said, although she sounded like she was saying it reluctantly.

David looked at his mum sceptically, but just shrugged it off and went back upstairs. Just as he reached the top a loud banging noise came from outside. Gail flinched. Bang, Bang. She heard the noise again. Bang, Bang, BANG. Again, Gail heard the banging noise again, only this time it sounded more impatient. It took Gail a moment to realise that the noise was coming from the door, somebody was outside. Gail cautiously walked to the door, reaching for the door handle as slowly as possible. Just before she was about to open the door an aggravated voice came from outside.

"Gail. It's me, open up will you?" The voice called through the door.

Gail pulled open the door and a wave of relief spread through her as she saw a sopping wet Tina standing at her doorway. Gail had half expected it to be the police. She let out a sigh and smiled.

"Come in love, you must be soaking" She said, turned in the doorway to give Tina enough room to enter the house. Tina ignored Gail and marched straight into the living room, turning on her heels and stood facing Gail, her arms folded, looking as if she wanted answers. Gail's face fell as she soon realised why Tina was in her house.

"I want answers Gail." Tina demanded, her eyes blazing. Her hands were on her hips and she wasn't breaking eye contact with Gail. "I've been calling him for days now and I'm still not getting any answers. Where is my dad Gail and why is he not answering any of my calls?" She said a look of expectancy in her eyes.

It was at this time when Gail noticed Joe's phone lying on the sofa, just inches away from where Tina was standing. Her eyes widened. Gail gulped and shook her head back, "You must be thirsty, let me get you a cup of tea" Gail said, as she walked towards the kitchen she grabbed a cushion and used it to cover Joe's phone. Tina's eyes momentarily flickered towards the spot where her father's phone was hidden.

Tina turned on her heels again to face Gail, who was now busy boiling the kettle. "No Gail, I didn't come over here for friendly chit chat on the sofa with a cup of tea, I want answers and I'm not gonna leave until I get them." She said the burning look in her eyes still there.

Gail sighed, it seemed like she was doing that a lot lately, and she turned towards Tina, fighting back tears. "Like I said Tina, Your fathers found work in Cumbria. He'll be out there for a few more weeks I should imagine." Gail said. For a moment she thought of breaking down, making a teary confession and tell Tina everything. But then she remembered what David had said to her.

Tina looked slightly defeated, but never the less she still wasn't satisfied. "Well then, why isn't he answering my calls? I mean, where can he possibly be working that he gets a bad reception every day!?"

All Gail could do was shake her head and shrug her shoulders, she managed a stuttered "I… I… Err… Maybe he's just been busy a lot recently". She managed to let out a nervous laugh and walked back to the kettle which had just boiled.

Tina was about to leave when she noticed a piece of paper lying on the coffee table, on it was the address of the cottage Gail and Joe had stayed at in the lakes. She considered leaving it, but when she glanced over at the kitchen and saw Gail was busy, she picked up the piece of paper and put it in her pocket. She then quietly sneaked out of the door and left Gail alone.

Gail turned around with a fresh cup of tea in her hand, ready to hand it over to Tina, a false grin on her face. She stopped in her tracks and looked puzzled, noticing that Tina had gone. She walked over to the living room and glanced over at the table. She didn't seem to notice anything was missing; instead she just placed the cup down and went to sit down on the sofa.

Just has she took a seat, David came clambering down the stairs again. He walked around the edge of the sofa and stood in front of his mother. "What was all that about?" He asked in a worried voice.

Gail looked up gravely from her sofa and stared at David, after a pause which seemed to last an eternity she whispered "It seems we have a greater problem than we imagined."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Gail and David stood frozen in time, gazing at each other, all sorts of things running through their minds. David was trying to read his mothers face, to guess what was wrong but he couldn't. Gail had a stony look on her face where as David looked confused to say the least.

David's eyes traced the entire room thoroughly until he met his mothers gaze once again. David's eyes narrowed as he started to put the pieces together. Gail remained where she was with the same stony expression. A single tear started to roll down her cheek. She cleared her throat and walked closer to David. "It's Tina. She's not happy, the story isn't sticking David. She knows something is wrong and soon she's going to know the truth." Gail said, eventually finding her voice.

David looked baffled, he was so sure that the story would stick. That no one would question it. He had no idea that Tina would become so suspicious. "Why, what does she know?" David asked his mother, the panic starting to show in his voice. "If she finds out the truth..."

"I know what will happen David." Gail cut off her son, her voice becoming more assertive. "Tina doesn't know anything; she's just got a hunch that's all."

"Well I hope so, because if she ever finds out what really happened in the Lakes we could end up in Prison. So, whatever you do don't let Tina catch on." David said, still panicking slightly. Looking round the room as if expecting Tina to be somewhere in the house, eavesdropping.

"Yes David, I've heard it all before. I've gone this far and I'm sure I can go a little bit longer" Gail said, becoming slightly aggravated for her son didn't seem to have any confidence in her.

"Yes mum, but it only takes one slip of the tongue and anyone can work out the truth in an instant. I mean, you don't want Norris spreading poison in people's ears do you?" David said who still wasn't convinced that his mother could handle the pressure.

"ENOUGH." Gail said, mustering up enough courage to finally fight back against her son. David had been controlling his mother ever since the Lakes, constantly reminding her how everything could go wrong and their lives could be ruined, not one thought spared for the hell Gail is going through.

"EVERY DAY YOU HAVE BEEN THERE, REMINDING ME OF HOW BAD THINGS CAN GET, BUT YOU ONLY CARE ABOUT YOURSELF. YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE JOE IS, YOU DON'T KNOW IF HE'S ALRIGHT AND YOU CERTAINLY DON'T CARE!" Gail screamed, losing her temper and then breaking down into a flood of tears.

David looked taken aback, he had no idea his mother would react in such an explosive manner. He wanted to comfort her but he just couldn't the right words. Instead he walked over towards her and hugged her, letting Gail sob her troubles away on his shoulder. Gail pushed away from her son's grasp and backed against the wall. She shook her head and wiped away her tears.

"I… I'm sorry David. I guess the pressures really getting to me know. I just wish I had acted differently. Things could have been so much easier if I had just…" Gail stammered, before breaking down again.

"Look mum, don't do this to yourself. What happened is In the past now and you can't change that. You've just got to focus on making sure no one ever finds out what happens in the Lake District." David said, in a slightly softer voice that usual. "You just need to compose yourself, smile at people in the streets and no one will ever suspect something is wrong." He said as he walked closer to his mother who was now slumped on the floor, still sobbing.

David reached out a hand and helped his mother up from the floor. Gail stared at David and whispered a barely audible "Ok" before walking upstairs to get some rest. She had just reached the second step when she stopped in her tracks and leaned over the banister, her eyes focused intently on the coffee table at the side of the staircase. Gail walked back down the stairs and stood in front of the coffee table, still staring intently at the same spot.

"What is it Mum? Is something wrong?" David asked, noticing his mother merely standing there.

"Oh God. Oh God, she can't have…" Gail whispered, shaking her head in disbelief, a look of confusion on her face merging into a look of horror.

"What is it Mum?" David repeated, only louder with a slight twinge of panic in his voice.

Gail turned around and looked at David, she looked completely shaken up. "I left a piece of paper here; on the coffee table" She said gesturing to the spot where she had been staring at moments earlier "The paper had the address of the cottage we stayed at in the Lakes and…" Gail said, trailing off and looking down at the floor.

David looked at his mother, anxious to know what the problem was. "Go on mum, spit it out!" David said. "I haven't got all day."

Gail looked up from her feet, the same look of terror from earlier in her eyes. "The papers gone. Tina must have taken it". She managed to say, shaking her head in disbelief. The more she thought about how careless she had been the more she got annoyed with herself.

David's face fell, confusion, panic and annoyance could all of been read from his expression. "Well this is just great." David said tutting and shaking his head. "You know, I don't believe you sometimes Mum. How could you be so careless? Tina could be there right now, and who knows what she could find?" He said sternly. David picked up his jacket and put it on, zipping it up and pulling up his hood.

"Where are you going now?" Gail asked, not wanting to make things any worse than they already are.

"I'm going over to Tina's to fix _**your **_mistake. If Tina has the address then we've got no hope" David said franticly, glaring at Gail with a disapproving look on his face. He had one hand on the door handle when his mother pulled him back.

"Wait, David. What are you going to do? How exactly are you going to fix this problem?" Gail asked, looking deep into David's eyes. For a brief second both of them just merely stood there, Gail with one hand on her son's shoulder and David stood there with his hood up.

David looked defeated, as truthfully he had no idea how he was going to stop Tina from finding out what really happened In the Lake District; he just knew he had to do something. "I… Err… We'll I'll just figure something out later all I know is that Tina needs to be stopped" David said to his mother, after about a minute of silence.

Reluctantly Gail loosened her grip on David's shoulder and placed her hands on her hips. "Well if you insist on doing this I'm not going to let you do it alone. I'm coming with you." Gail said determinedly. A serious look in her eyes as she said it.

"Are you sure mum? Because if you're insisting on coming you're going to have to understand we need to do anything to stop her. I mean it. Anything." David said, as if he was testing the strength of Gail's character.

Gail glared into her son's eyes, not once showing any signs of fear. "I understand. Tina can't find out about Joe. We need to stop her." Gail whispered. She wasn't proud of what she had just said, but she knew it had to be done. "Let's go." Gail whispered, sighing under her breath.

David gave his mother one last look, nodded and pulled the door open. The rain had subsided but the darkness had seized weatherfield and brought with it a batch of sweeping wind. Coronation Street was like a ghost town, every light seemed to be switched off, every curtain closed. There was no sign of life. David looked in each direction of the street and when he saw it was deserted he stepped outside, closely followed by Gail, who quietly shut the door behind them.

As soon as they set foot outside, out of nowhere the screeching of tires could be heard in the distance, and just then a black cab drove onto the cobbles, each headlight blazing like the sun itself, causing David to squint. As the car slowed down David backed into the alleyway at the side of his house out of view, and pulled Gail in with him. "What's going on? Why are we hiding?" Gail whispered in David's ear.

David shushed Gail without turning round; he merely stared intently at the taxi that had just stopped in front of Tina's house. After a few seconds of nothing but the sound of birds chirping, Tina emerged from the front door, wrapped in a large black overcoat looking over her shoulder both ways to make sure no one had seen her. She ducked into the taxi and within moments the car had driven off, leaving the street to return to its previous lifeless state.

David cautiously stepped out from the alley and into the middle of the street. "No prizes for guessing where they're going then." David quipped, looking over his shoulder at his mother. Gail sighed and slowly started wondering up the street.

"Where are you going?" David called after his mother.

"I'm going to get a cab" She called back, still walking without looking back. "Like you said David, we need to do anything to stop Tina." She said gravely.

David sighed and rolled his eyes, before jogging after his mum who was halfway up the street. By the time he had caught up to her she was standing outside the door to Street Cars. "You sure you want to do this mum? Because once you order that cab there's no turning back" David said.

Gail gave David a look which answered his question immediately; she then pushed the door open and stepped inside. The office was deserted except for Claire, who was working the switch this night. Claire was chattering away on her headset to one of the cab drivers as the dulcet tones of Paloma Faith could be heard in the background.

Claire swivelled in her chair and looked at Gail. "Yes Gail, how can I help you" Claire asked in her usual chirpy voice, a huge cheesy grin on her face.

Gail forced a small smile before answering Claire's question. "I need a taxi out to the Lake District if possible. I err… I'm going to visit Joe. He's been busy recently I thought I would surprise him." She said, trying her hardest to sound nonchalant.

"Of course Gail, I'm sure we've got a free driver somewhere. I love the Lake District me, so beautiful and peaceful. You and Joe must have had a lovely time…" Claire said.

It was at this point when Gail lost track of what Claire was saying, as she had more important things on her mind to worry about. She merely smiled and said "Yes" and "I know" every few seconds so Claire wouldn't catch on.

"Ok then your Cab should be here in about 10 minutes." Claire said to Gail, with the same cheesy grin on her face.

"Thank you" Gail said, and she turned and stepped outside. David had been waiting outside and was growing impatient.

"There you are what took you so long?" David asked, looking over his shoulder every now and then to make sure that the coast was clear.

"Sorry, Claire was talking a lot, I wasn't paying much attention" Gail replied. "The cab should be here in about 10 minutes. Do you think we'll catch up with Tina?" Gail then said, sounding slightly hopeful.

David shrugged his shoulders and faced his mother. "Honestly Mum, I have no idea" he said.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

These past 10 minutes seemed to last an entire lifetime. The hands on David's watch seemed to move 1 second back for every 2 seconds forward. Gail was pacing up and down the street, listening out intently for any signs of approaching cars. Just when Gail was beginning to lose her patience a car came trundling around the corner and screeched to a halt outside Street Cars.

The driver was a middle aged man with thinning hair with stubble and a toothy grin. He winded the window down and leaned out of it, looking at Gail. "You the one who ordered the cab, Love?" He asked, giving Gail a cheeky wink.

Gail bit her tongue and forced the smile she was now so good at faking. "Yes, that was me." She said. Opening the door to the cab and climbing in the back. David walked around to the other side of the car and pulled the door open. He clambered in and sat next to his mother and put on his seatbelt. As the engine rumbled and the car set off down the cobbles David leaned over his shoulder and out of the window, to make sure no one had noticed them.

"Settle in Mum, it's going to be a long ride." David said, as he shuffled in his seat, trying to get comfortable. The driver chuckled and continued driving. Gail stared out the window and thought about all that had happened, and all that is about to happen. Just when she thought things couldn't possibly get any worse.

The slamming of car doors abruptly awoke Gail, who was still in the back seat of the taxi. After a moment of disorientation Gail noticed David standing outside the taxi, in front of a wide lake which stretched out as far as the eye could see. For a second, Gail was convinced this was a dream until the harsh reality came crashing down around her. Gail and David were here for a reason.

She rubbed her eyes and opened the car door, stepping outside and being hit with a sudden gust of wind. She walked over to the window of the driver's seat and handed a note to the driver, not taking her eyes off the lake. The driver mumbled a "Cheers love" before setting off into the distance, the sound of the engine gently fading away as the car simply left Gail and David there.

When Gail finally prised her eyes off the lake that had haunted her for so long, she noticed her son was standing there, simply staring at the cottage in front of them. "What is it?" Gail asked her son, whose mouth was hanging slightly open. David didn't reply to Gail, he merely nodded towards the window. "Wha…" Gail said, looking back and forth from the cottage and her soon, looking confused to say the least.

"Look!" David said, pointing at the cottage, still not taking his eyes off it.

Gail's eyes narrowed as she slowly started approaching the cottage. As she came closer her eyes widened and her jaw dropped as she realised what her son meant. Looking through the window Gail was greeted by a horrific view. Tables turned upside down, curtains ripped and shredded, strewed across the floor. Books and pieces of paper scattered in various placed across the cottage and broken picture frames hanging on their sides on the walls. The door to the cottage was still open.

"Oh no". Gail whispered to herself softly before running around the corner and into what was left of the cottage. As soon as she saw the damage up close she was speechless. The place looked like a bomb had hit it. Drawers lay hanging on their hinges, chipped wallpaper, cutlery and smashed pots and glasses littering the floor. The damage was indescribable.

David walked in through the open door slowly, his mouth still hanging open. "Wow." He said. "Must have been someone's time of the month…" He said to himself, looking around the destroyed cottage. He carefully tiptoed his way further into the depth of the demolished room. "Look at this place. Tina was clearly looking for something" He said, kicking a drawer out of the way.

Gail was still stood stationary in the doorway, still trying to get her head around the whole situation. She had no idea that Tina would be capable of wreaking such havoc. Gail was starting to think she was in over her head.

"Well mum, there's no sign of Tina. She must have gone" David said, folding his arms.

Gail flinched, she had been so submerged in thought she didn't notice that David had been walking around the cottage for about 3 minutes. "Sorry love, what was that?" she said.

"There's no sign of Tina. She must of gone" Said David, slightly irritably with a bored look on his face. "Do you think we should look for her?" David said, glancing over his shoulder.

"Yes, this is important. We need to find Tina." Gail said. She sighed and walked back out of the cottage, closely followed by David. It was now pitch black outside, the only source of light coming from the moon, glowing high above their heads.

Gail and David turned aimlessly on the spot, trying to think of a logical place to start searching for Tina, a blank expression on both their faces. Just when Gail looked like giving up all hope, she could hear a faint sound of footsteps in the near distance. Gail stopped in her tracks and turned swiftly on her feet. She glared intently at the gently swaying branches in the distance. Gail edged her way closer to the tree's looking out for any sign of movement.

David slowly walked closer, so he was standing level with his mother. "Tina?" Gail called out, still staring at the bushes. All of a sudden the rustling in the bush became more intense, David and Gail edging slightly closer to the bushes. Their hearts were in their mouth as they expected a distraught Tina to burst out of the bushes at any moment. The rustling in the bushes stopped, as did Gail and David's heart. They leaned in expectantly. After a moment's pause something emerged from the bushes. Gail and David looked up and down and didn't notice anything at first. However after a second glance they realised that what they thought was Tina was merely a stray cat. The cat stopped and looked at Gail and David, startled, before scarpering.

David rolled his eyes and stood up straight again, sighing. Gail still looked worried. "I was so sure she was in there" She said, her voice starting to crack. "She could be anywhere!" Gail said, clearly doubting they will find her.

Gail turned round and faced her son, who looked just as puzzled as Gail, and could do nothing more than shrug his shoulders. Gail had no idea what to do next, as she spun round and faced the bushes again, as if hoping that Tina would suddenly emerge unexpected. She was about to give up hope and call another taxi when she turned around and saw something that changed her mind completely.

Tina was standing on the gully, plastered with dirt and bruises. She was simply standing there, arms hanging limp at her side. She was breathing heavily in and out, her chest rising and falling, a crazed look in her eyes.

Gail didn't dare move any closer. She just stood there and looked onwards at Tina, her eyes starting to become teary. "Tina. Tina please…" Gail whispered softly shaking her head. Her voice started to trail off at the end. Gail wasn't sure what she was pleading for.

Tina just stood there, staring at Gail intently, her brow furrowed. She was chewing the inside of her cheek, not taking her eyes off Gail.

"Tina come here" Gail whispered again, starting to outstretch her arms to give Tina a comforting hug.

"NO! Gail. You can't just hug me and expect me to forgive you! It doesn't work like that!" Tina erupted, backing away from Gail and pointing her finger at her.

"Tina please just give me a chance to explain, you don't understand" Gail said franticly, trying to draw Tina closer to her. No matter how hard Gail tried Tina wouldn't budge.

Tina wiped her tears away from her cheek and composed herself before looking into Gail's eyes. "You lied to me." She whispered fiercely to Gail, her eyes narrowing. "YOU said he was working here YOU said he was fine. So why should I give you a chance to explain? You've had weeks to tell me what's really going on!" Tina said, her voice becoming firmer. Her eyes cut through Gail like knives causing Gail to squint in fear.

"No Tina you don't understand, it wasn't that simple" Gail said, panic starting to show in her voice. She started to shake but it wasn't the cool midnight breeze causing her to do so. She spun round on her feet to ask her son for support. "David will you plea-"She started to say, but she froze mid-speech when she noticed her soon wasn't standing where he had been. She looked around puzzled, her mouth hanging slightly open. "I don't understand" She whispered to herself, scanning for any sign of David.

Gail turned around again to face Tina, who was standing dangerously close to the river, who was lapping eagerly at the rocky shore itching to drag something or someone into its murky depth. Tears were steadily rolling down Tina's cheeks. "Where i-is he-e?" she chocked through a flood of tears. "Where is he?" She repeated softly, in a voice that was barely audible.

Gail gulped and slowly approached Tina, still visibly shaking. "I'm so sorry Tina, none of this was meant to happen, i… I'm so sorry" She said. "I don't want to do this, I really don't" Gail said still approaching Tina.

Tina started to back away, momentarily losing her footing and sending a loose rock plunging into the river making a gentle splashing sound. Tina had a sharp intake of breath as her heart stopped beating for a split second. Gail came closer to Tina and stopped in her tracks, looking into her murky brown eyes. Gail could do nothing more than shake her head, as if it was her way of apologises. Tina closed her eyes, admitting defeat and accepting her fate.

At the side of the building David stood, his back pressed against the wall. He peeked round the corner and saw Tina and Gail simply staring at each other in front of the river. David started to slowly edge his way closer to the couple, the concentration obvious on his face.

David tightened his grip. In his right hand he was clutching the wooden handle of a large knife. He had the cool steel of the blade pressed against his back. David took one last deep breath and started to make his way over to Gail and Tina discretely. David was now clutching the handle so tightly his knuckles started to turn white. He was determined to solve this problem once and for all.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

David slowly made his way towards Gail and Tina who were simply standing there. He started to panic slightly; he felt the knife in his hand slip as his hands started to shake uncontrollably. He stopped in his Tracks, just out of view. He shut his eyes and took a deep breath, various thoughts flashed through his mind at this point in time. Should he do it? How will he do it? David gulped and opened his eyes. He had made a decision and he was going to do what was necessary. "This is the right thing to do. There's no other way." He mumbled to himself, trying to reassure himself that he wasn't doing anything wrong.

With that thought firmly lodged in his mind, David trudged into view and cleared his throat. Tina and Gail both simultaneously turned their heads to see David standing there. His face was obscured by the shadow cast by his hood, the image portrayed was menacing and slightly thuggish. "There you are. What on earth were you doing?" Gail asked, her eyes still glistening with tears. "David?" She asked again.

Tina stood there limply, in front of the lake looking ready to buckle at the knees with the click of a finger. She stared at David, terror in her eyes as she caught a glimpse of the grave look on his face. Tina tried her hardest to speak but no words came out, the most she could manage was a splutter. Tina shook her head slowly and started to side step her way across the bank of the lake away from David. "No… No… No Please!" She whispered, her voice starting to crack. "I just want to know where my Dad is" she wailed before falling to her knees and breaking down into a flood of tears. A mixture of screams and tears came from Tina, but this wouldn't stop David.

A large clap of thunder could be heard from the high heavens, followed by a fresh downpour of heavy rain. Tina was still kneeling on the ground, the rain washing over her. David trudged his way through the mud and rooted up grass to meet Tina. He stared down at her pitifully, wondering whether he was doing the right thing. Just as he started to have doubts, he felt a warm hand squeeze his shoulder.

David looked over his shoulder and saw his mother, giving David a reassuring smile. "We need to finish this" She said, her hand still lingering on his shoulder. He looked at his mother for a brief second, doubt clearly spread over his face, tiny beads of sweat started to slowly drip down David's forehead and down his nose. He wiped them away with his jacket sleeve and nodded to his mother. She took her hand of his shoulder and circled Tina, ending up behind her. Tina was still screaming out through her tears on the ground, "NOOOOO! PLEASE!" She would scream every few seconds. Gail closed her eyes and fought back even more tears, which seem to have been constantly flowing down her cheeks at recent times.

David lowered his hood slowly and gazed down at Tina. His lower lip started to tremble as he could practically see Tina's heart breaking. "I'm so sorry" he whispered to her, trying to comfort her in some way. David started to freeze up, seeing Tina sobbing uncontrollably on the ground. He started to lose concentration and drifted off into distant memories he once shared with Tina, the girl David once loved, and a part of him still does.

"DAVID!" Gail yelled sharply, snapping David out of his trance. The anticipation was too much for Gail to cope with. "Can we please get on with this?" She said, looking down at her feet, feeling ashamed.

"Yeah…" David said, still seeming slightly distant. He pulled the large blade from behind his back and held it at his side. His eyes may have been focused on the blade but he could hear his mother gasp in shock and horror. He drew his eyes away from the knife to look at Tina. She was still kneeling on the floor, sobbing more than ever. The entire colour had been flushed from her face; she seemed cold and lifeless already. She had stifled her gasp with her hand and her eyes had widened in terror. She started to shake her head franticly as David toyed with the glistening blade.

"You're not suggesting we…" Gail said, trailing off at the end of her sentence. She looked from Tina to David, looking disgusted.

"Remember when I said to you that we will have to do anything to stop Tina?" David asked in a dull tone, not taking his eyes of the blade, which he was now stroking gently. "Well, this is the only way." He said.

"But I thought you just meant we we're going to talk to her, tell her what she wanted to hear." Gail asked, still looking disgusted.

David rolled his eyes and took his eyes off the blade, looking down at Tina. He shook his head apologetically and raised the knife, ready to swing down at any moment. Gail wanted to do something to stop him but she was completely paralysed by shock. As David held the knife high above his head, a single tear fell down his cheek. The person who had spent these last few months criticizing and acting as a rock had finally succumbed and was now showing his true emotions. "I love you" he whispered, although he was pretty sure Tina hadn't heard him through all the screams and tears.

David started to swing the knife down, willing for Tina to take this opportunity and run, he wasn't aware he was doing it but he was giving Tina the gift of life. As the blade started to approach Tina she jumped and cowered under her arms. "NO!" She yelped in a high pitch voice before starting to sob again. David tried to block out the sound of her despair, he knew he had to do it, he knew it.

Gail simply watched, stunned as her son was about to murder someone before her very eyes. She used every single ounce of strength she had to look away, but she couldn't. She was mesmerised. In merely a few seconds the knife in David's hand would pierce Tina's skin, bleeding her dry. Tina cowered on the floor screaming out in desperation but no one could hear her.

David paused, starting to get cold feet. He was about to do it once and for all when Tina grabbed his jacket tightly, pulling herself up onto her knees. "NOOO DAVID PLEASE, PLEASE. IT'S NOT FAIR." She yelled through her tears. "Please" she sobbed one last time. She shut her eyes, waiting for it to happen, willing for it to be over and done with. When she realised that David was simply standing there she gripped his jacket tighter and threw him to the ground. She forced herself to stand up and she scrambled away, slipping over every few seconds. She ran into the bushes as fast as her legs could carry her, ignoring the fact that branches were snagging at her clothes and scratching her face.

Tina kept running, she had no clue as to where she was running or what she was going to do when she get there. She just knew she had to get away from David. She looked over her shoulder and saw David in the distance, charging after her closely followed by Gail. Tina yelped out in pain as a large branch scraped up her arm, leaving a noticeable scratch.

"Tina come back" David called out, trying to lure her back.

Tina was panting as she focused all her energy on reaching the other side, all of a sudden she tripped over a loose rock and tumbled forward. When she sat up she felt incredibly dizzy and there was a sharp pain on the side of her head. She looked around, disorientated, before realising she was no longer in the bushes.

She slowly stood up, shaking slightly. She went to walk forward but stopped as soon as she realised she was on the edge of a hill, overlooking the lake. She looked down into the murky depths of the Lake, fearing it and admiring it at the same time. She turned on her feet and saw David bursting through virtually the same spot as her.

He bent down, trying to catch his breath. "Tina..." "Wait…" he panted, looking up at Tina, who was trembling with fear. Gail came out of the bushes and stood behind her son, still speechless. "Davi-" She said, trying to speak. But she couldn't manage to say anything so she simply stood there.

"I can't do it. I Won't do it." David said starting to tear up, he looked into Tina's eyes and mouthed the words "I'm sorry".

Tina broke down into tears, once again. David approached Tina cautiously. He reached out and stroked Tina's hair. "I'm so sorry that we lied." He whispered into her ear.

Gail walked up towards the pair, resting her hand on Tina's shoulder. "We'll tell you everything. I promise." Gail said, smiling sadly.

Tina held back her tears and nodded. She looked into David's Eyes and went in to hug him. It was at this moment In time which David had completely forgotten about the knife he held in his hand. As he drew away from the hug he saw Tina clutching her middle, where a knife handle was sticking out, Fresh blood trickling down her stomach. Tina looked down at the knife that had pierced her skin and looked up again at David. Her jaw was hanging open and before her eyes rolled back in her head she caught a glimpse of the horror on David's face. As she started to fall to the floor she reached out and grabbed David's jacket. Tina fell backwards over the edge of the hill, taking David with her. As David hit his head on the fall, rendering him unconscious, they both fell into the water with a hefty splash, sinking slowly down to the bottom of the Lake. The lake that had haunted Gail ever since Joe had been the first victim claimed by the lake of bodies.

Gail looked over the edge of the Lake, horror-struck. "David. Tina." She whispered, scanning the lake for any sign of life. "DAVID? TINA?" She called out even louder this time, her voice ringing into the crisp midnight air.


End file.
